For Immediate Release
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Contacts: Greg Petrowich, Executive Director, WSIU Public Broadcasting, (618) 453-6181, greg.petrowich@wsiu.org; Monica Tichenor, Promotions Director, WSIU Public Broadcasting, (618) 453-6160, monica.tichenor@wsiu.org
Public Invited to Free Local Preview Parties Celebrating New Season of Downton Abbey on Masterpiece
Carbondale, Ill. – Break out the Roaring Twenties costumes! On Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, WSIU Public Broadcasting, the public media stations of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is hosting free preview parties in Olney, Illinois, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Murphysboro, Illinois to celebrate the upcoming sixth and final season of the Masterpiece series Downton Abbey. The new season will premiere on WSIU-TV 8 and WUSI-TV 16 beginning Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 8pm.
Southeast Health and Hutson’s Fine Furniture in Cape Girardeau, Missouri are sponsoring all three events and the television broadcasts of Masterpiece featuring Downton Abbey on WSIU-TV. Richland Memorial Hospital and Olney Central College are also sponsoring the Olney event.
“Downton Abbey has been a six-year phenomenon nationwide, and Southern Illinois viewers are no exception,” says Greg Petrowich, Executive Director of WSIU Public Broadcasting. “This has gotten bigger every year, to the point we needed three events this year. Fans of the series know their home for all things ‘Downton’ is WSIU/WUSI-TV.”
The first event will be held on Saturday, December 5 from 1-3pm at the Dr. John D. Stull Performing Arts Center at Olney Central College in Olney, Illinois.
The second event also will take place on Saturday, December 5 from 3-5pm at the Glenn Convocation Center at Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
The final event will be held on Sunday, December 6 from 4-6pm at the Murphysboro Event Center in Murphysboro, Illinois.
At each event, guests will enjoy a reception with refreshments provided by Cristaudo’s Café, Bakery & Catering in Carbondale, followed by a screening of the first hour of season six of Downton Abbey. Additional activities include door prizes and photo opportunities with life-sized cutouts of Downton Abbey characters Anna & Bates, Carson, Lady Mary, and Violet, the Dowager Countess. Guests are encouraged, but not required, to dress in 1920s-era finery.
Registrations are required at www.wsiu.org/downton-abbey-rsvp, via email at rsvp@wsiu.org, or by calling (618) 453-6122.
Prior to the premiere of Season Six of Downton Abbey on January 3, WSIU will rebroadcast Season 5 in its entirety on Saturday, December 12 from 8-10:30pm; Sunday, December 13 from 6-10pm; Sunday, December 20 from 8-10:30pm; and Sunday, December 27 from 8-10pm.
Related programming will include Salute to Downton Abbey on Sunday, November 29 at 8pm and 9:30pm, The Manners of Downton Abbey on Sunday, December 27 at 7pm and 11pm, and Secrets of Highclere Castle on Sunday, December 27 at 10pm.
Downton Abbey is a Carnival Films/Masterpiece Co-Production written and created by Julian Fellowes. The series is executive produced by Gareth Neame, Julian Fellowes, Liz Trubridge, and Nigel Marchant. Chris Croucher is the producer. The executive producer for Masterpiece is Rebecca Eaton.
DVDs and other Downton Abbey items are available at shopPBS.org.
About WSIU
WSIU Public Broadcasting is licensed to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University and is an integral part of the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts on the Carbondale campus. The WSIU stations reach more than three million people across five states and beyond through three digital public television channels, three public radio stations, a radio information service, a website, and an education and community outreach unit.
WSIU's mission is to improve the quality of life of the people they serve. The WSIU stations partner with other community organizations to promote positive change and to support the academic and public service missions of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn more and get the latest station news online at wsiu.org and on WSIU's Facebook and Twitter pages.
WSIU's programs and services are partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
About MASTERPIECE
The top-rated primetime show on PBS, Masterpiece is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is Executive Producer. Funding for the series is provided by Viking River Cruises and Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com subsidiary, with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust, created to help ensure the series’ future.
About PBS
PBS, with over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 103 million people through television and over 33 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
About Carnival Films
Carnival Films, a division of NBCUniversal International Studios and the UK's largest drama specialist, is responsible for the global sensation Downton Abbey, winner of three Golden Globes and eleven Primetime Emmy awards. It is the most nominated non-U.S. show in the history of the Emmys with a total of 59 nominations and is now viewed in 250 territories worldwide. Downton Abbey is executive produced by Carnival's Managing Director Gareth Neame, who sold the production company to NBCUniversal in 2008. Carnival has produced many hundreds of hours of popular drama both in the UK and United States including primetime series such as Poirot, Hotel Babylon, Whitechapel, Dracula, and The Philanthropist, as well as award-winning mini-series such as C4's iconic Traffik, David Nicholl's The 7:39, David Hare's Worricker Trilogy, as well as William Boyd's BAFTA-winning Any Human Heart, and Peter Morgan's BAFTA-winning The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies. Carnival Film's latest series Stan Lee's Lucky Man is in production for Sky 1, along with the sixth series of Downton Abbey. Production on The Hollow Crown 2: War of the Roses, a co-production with Neal Street starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Judi Dench for BBC2 and PBS, has just completed. Carnival Films has recently announced major new projects such as Frank Spotnitz and Nicholas Meyers' Freud, Bill Gallagher's Jamestown, Neil Cross's Bay of Plenty with Libertine Pictures, and Magnum with Magnum Photos.
About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, NOVA, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other primetime, lifestyle, and children's series. WGBH also is a leader in educational multimedia, including PBS LearningMedia, and a pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to the 36 million Americans who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards...even two Oscars. Find more information at www.wgbh.org.
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